kneecap

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kneecap

/ˈniːˌkæp/

Rhymes with -iːkæp

Where it comes from

From knee + cap.

noun kneecaps

The flat, roundish bone in the knee.
Similar: kneepan, patella, rotula, scutum
A metal cover trim that fits over a panel rib after it has been cut and bent.
A cap or strong covering for the knees, used chiefly for horses, to protect their knees in case of a fall.

verb kneecaps · kneecapping · kneecapped

transitive To destroy the knees of (a person), usually by shooting at the knees, as a punishment carried out by criminals or terrorists. The Sinn Féin press officer Richard McAuley freely admitted, “Back four or five years ago, people were getting kneecapped who should not have been kneecapped.”
broadly, figuratively, transitive To attack (someone) in a way that is excessively and needlessly damaging: to cut (someone) off at the knees. This story of how American originality lost its way is arresting and well told. On an alternate timeline without Donald Trump in office dismantling the American scientific establishment and Elon Musk kneecapping the American state, it might have been the manifesto of a new politics.

Translations

Every language

noun bone

Español	rótula, choquezuela
한국어	슬개골 seulgaegol, 무릎뼈 mureupppyeo
日本語	膝蓋骨 shitsugaikotsu
中文	膝蓋骨 /膝盖骨 xīgàigǔ, 髕骨 /髌骨 bìngǔ
Português	rótula, patela
Français	rotule
Deutsch	Kniescheibe, Patella
Italiano	rotula, patella
Ελληνικά	επιγονατίδα epigonatída
Română	patelă, rotulă
Русский	коле́нная ча́шечка kolénnaja čášečka, надколе́нник nadkolénnik, надколе́нная ча́шка nadkolénnaja čáška
Tiếng Việt	xương bánh chè
العربية	رَضَفَة raḍafa
עברית	פיקה piká

verb to destroy the knees

Italiano	gambizzare, azzoppare

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Cite this

MLA

"kneecap." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kneecap. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

kneecap. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kneecap

Chicago

"kneecap." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kneecap.

BibTeX

@misc{kneecap_2026,
  title = {kneecap},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kneecap},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}